Original Author: Stokes, Richard
Date of Material: 01/24/2017
Subjects(s):
Personnel--Fringe benefits
Colleges and universities
Education
Personnel--Surveys
Educational Assistance Survey
Reviewed Date: 05/07/2021
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Thirteen cities were asked several questions about educational assistance opportunities, tuition reimbursement, and requirements for employees to participate in their educational assistance programs.
Educational Assistance Survey Questionnaire
1. Does your company offer a tuition reimbursement or some type of educational assistance opportunities program?
| City/Organization | Yes/No |
| Cookeville | Yes |
| Jackson | Yes |
| Cleveland | Yes |
| Bartlett | Yes |
| Maryville | No |
| Collierville | No |
| Franklin | Yes |
| Crossville | Yes |
| McMinnville | Yes |
| Memphis | Yes |
| Farragut | Yes |
| Columbia | No |
| Mt. Juliet | Yes |
2. What is the eligibility period for your reimbursement(s)?
| City/Organization | Eligibility Period for Reimbursement |
| Cookeville | must have worked 1 year |
| Jackson | 1 year of full-time |
| Cleveland | Fiscal year |
| Bartlett | 1 year |
| Franklin | 1 year |
| McMinnville | Next budget year |
| Memphis | Must be pre-approved |
| Mt. Juliet | An employee will be eligible for higher education after (1) year of continuous employment with the City. It is always a condition of available funds for that fiscal year. |
3. What is the annual allowance for each employee per year?
| City/Organization | Annual Allowance |
| Cookeville | 3 semester hours/quarter |
| Jackson | $1,800.00 |
| Cleveland | $2,388.00 |
| Bartlett | $750 (semester???) |
| Franklin | 7 hours per semester at the Board of Regents Rate. |
| Crossville | Approved by council in budget each year. Employee must submit request prior to the budget and enrolment in courses. |
| McMinnville | $3,000.00 |
| Memphis | $2,500.00 |
| Farragut | $1,500.00 |
| Mt. Juliet | There is no set amount. |
4. What are the minimum grade requirements?
| City/Organization | Minimum Grade Requirement |
| Cookeville | passing |
| Jackson | Grade of "C" and above |
| Cleveland | Grade of "C" and above |
| Bartlett | Grade of "C" and above |
| Franklin | A and B for 100% reimbursement. C for 50% |
| Crossville | C average or better |
| McMinnville | B for 100% C for 50% |
| Memphis | Grade of “C” and above |
| Farragut | 3.0 |
| Mt. Juliet | Grade of “C” and above |
5. Do your employees need to remain employed at your organization for a given length of time to be eligible for your educational assistance program? (for example, up to 1 year before and 1 year after program completion).
| City/Organization | Yes/No |
| Cookeville | Yes |
| Jackson | Yes |
| Cleveland | Yes |
| Bartlett | No |
| Franklin | Yes |
| Crossville | Yes |
| McMinnville | Yes |
| Memphis | No |
| Farragut | No |
| Mt. Juliet | Yes |
a. If yes, please explain:
| City/Organization | Remain Employed for Period of Time |
| Cookeville | completion of one year in good standing |
| Jackson | 1 Year of Full-time employment; no requirement to remain with us after educational reimbursements. |
| Cleveland | remain 2 years after receiving assistance or must pay back 50% |
| Franklin | if the employee leaves employment within a year after an associate, two years after receiving a bachelor’s degree or three years for a masters or juris doctorate or any time prior to receiving the degree, all amounts paid by the City for tuition reimbursement up to the resignation |
| Crossville | Must remain employed for 2 years after reimbursement; if employee voluntarily separates within the 2 years they are obligated to reimburse 50% |
| McMinnville | 3 years after |
| Mt. Juliet | If employee voluntarily separates from the City within two (2) years of receiving training at the cost of $2,000 or more, the employee will be required to reimburse the City 50 % of the training cost. |
6. Do you require employees to sign an agreement/contract including a payback schedule should they leave prior to terms?
| City/Organization | Yes/No |
| Cookeville | No |
| Jackson | No |
| Cleveland | No |
| Bartlett | No |
| Franklin | Yes |
| Crossville | Yes |
| McMinnville | Yes |
| Memphis | Yes |
| Farragut | No |
| Mt. Juliet | Yes |
a. If so what is the payback scale?
| City/Organization | Payback Scale |
| Franklin | Reimburse the City within 18 months with interest on any monies not paid within 30 days of resignation. The City shall have authority to waive repayment if separated for a disability or budget cuts. |
| Crossville | Agreement that the City is the sole source of funding and reimbursement of 50% to the City should the employee voluntarily separate |
| McMinnville | payback would be prorated over the 3 years |
| Memphis | less than 12 months - 100%; 13 - 24 months - 50%; no pay back after 24 months |
| Mt. Juliet | Employee going into the Police Academy is required to sign a contract, if they leave within that time period they will be required to pay a percentage of the amount back. |
7. Are your educational assistance requirements directly related to either of the following:
| City/Organization | Current Job | Future Role | Company’s Business Objectives |
| Cookeville | No | No | No |
| Jackson | Yes | Yes | |
| Cleveland | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bartlett | Yes | No | Yes |
| Franklin | Yes | ||
| Crossville | Yes | ||
| McMinnville | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memphis | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Farragut | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mt.Juliet | Yes |
8. What expenses does your educational assistance program provide?
| City/Organization | Expensed Provided |
| Cookeville | Tuition only |
| Jackson | Tuition, Lab Fees, |
| Cleveland | Tuition, books other required fees |
| Bartlett | Tuition |
| Franklin | All expenses up to Board of Regents rates for seven hours per semester |
| Crossville | Registration, tuition and books |
| McMinnville | Tuition only |
| Memphis | Tuition and books |
| Farragut | Tuition only |
| Mt. Juliet | Tuition and associated fees (books or not included) are reimbursement upon completion. This is if funds are available for that budget year. |
9. Do you intentionally link your educational assistance opportunities program with career development opportunities within your organization? (e.g., Career Development Roadmaps, etc.)
| City/Organization | Yes/No |
| Cookeville | No |
| Jackson | No |
| Cleveland | No |
| Bartlett | No |
| Franklin | Yes |
| Crossville | No |
| McMinnville | No |
| Memphis | No |
| Farragut | No |
| Mt. Juliet | Yes |
10. Should we have follow-up questions, who is the appropriate person to contact?
| City/Organization | Contact Person |
| Cookeville | Gail Fowler |
| Jackson | Lynn B. Henning |
| Cleveland | Jeff Davis |
| Bartlett | Ted Archdeacon |
| Franklin | Shirley Harmon-Gower or Natasha Parker |
| Crossville | Leah Crockett |
| McMinnville | Jennifer Rigsby |
| Memphis | Eric Sabatini |
| Farragut | Janet Curry |
| Mt. Juliet | Janet Southards |
Contact Information:
| Name | Organization | # of Employees | Contact Number |
| Gail Fowler | City of Cookeville | 425 | 931.520.5256 |
| Lynn Henning | City of Jackson | 721 | 731.425.8252 |
| Jeff Davis | City of Cleveland | 320 | 423.559.3313 |
| Ted Archdeacon | City of Bartlett | 700 | 901.385.5515 |
| Teresa Best | City of Maryville | 311 | 865.273.3428 |
| Cindy Greer | Town of Collierville | 540 | 901.457.2290 |
| Shirley Harmon - Gower | City of Franklin | 740 | 615.791.3216 |
| Leah Crockett | City of Crossville | 170 | 931.456.5681 |
| Jennifer Rigsby | City of McMinnville | 152 | |
| Eric Sabatini | City of Memphis | 6500 | 901.636.6411 |
| Janet Curry | Town of Farragut | 50 | 865.966.7057 |
| Connie Etzkin | City of Columbia | 386 | 931.560.1565 |
| Janet Southards | City of Mt. Juliet | 156 | 615.773.6290 |
Attachments:
Survey Results - Educational Assistance.pdf